Over a week with no football! Shock to the system as I went cold turkey. Maybe Crewe’s 4-1 hammering at the hands of Cheltenham had put me off the beautiful game temporarily.

The explanation for my mini hiatus was simpler than that. Having been away with family for a few days, I had decided to spend some time with my other half before disappearing to Aylesbury for a weekend with my other job- Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby.

So I had chosen against football Wednesday & Thursday last week and wheelchair rugby took precedent ahead of football over the weekend I thought I would be back at it on Monday.

However, my planned Monday night at Team Solent versus Upham was rained off and working late on Tuesday scuppered any plans for a game.

So when I was allowed to leave work an hour early on Wednesday, there was only one place I wanted to be- Test Park.

Team Solent’s BUCS Cup game with Swansea was a perfect match to end my run of eight days without a game, and with it being a cup game I was guaranteed another game without a 0-0.

The Ground

If you read this blog regularly, you are probably bored of my numerous trips to Test Park this season. To see my comments on the ground please take a look through my blog at some older Team Solent posts.

A wet week had meant the game was played on the 3G pitch, the second game I had seen on this pitch this season.

The Game

Team Solent sailed through to the quarter final of the Western Conference Cup with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Swansea University’s second string.

Jacob Noonan put the home side ahead from the spot before Jordan Godfrey fired in a second to give Robbie Slack’s men a 2-0 lead at the break against the run of play.

Solent ran away with the game in the second half as Landu netted a five-minute brace to give Solent a four goal lead. Swansea winger Matt Lambert pulled one back but it was too little too late with substitute Randy Spence netting the final goal late on.

Swansea had most of the ball in the opening moments of play and Fred Lewendon curled a long-range effort wide of the post.

Solent ‘keeper Jake Tillett made a great save to keep the score at 0-0 when Tom Shann had given the ball away on the edge of the box.

On 19 minutes Solent managed to break into the box and were awarded a penalty when Noonan played a nice chip into the path of Lewis Danquah who was clattered over in the box, leaving the referee no option but to award the penalty. Noonan stepped up and fired into the bottom corner despite ‘keeper Harry Churchill going close to getting a finger to it.

Swansea were wasteful in attack as Jake Hammond fired wide before Tillett made another great save from Hugo Cowan to keep the hosts ahead.

Slack was forced into an early substitution when O’Shea McDonald replaced an injured Daniel Sharpe.

In first half stoppage time, Solent doubled their lead through Godfrey who fired through a crowded area into the bottom corner after Noonan had taken a short free kick from a wide position.

The second half started with much of the same and Solent really came out of the blocks and added a third on 47 minutes through Giovanni Landu. Nick Kerr had played in the powerful frontman who took his time in the box and just as he looked to have missed the chance to shoot he slid the ball into the net.

Landu was then celebrating again five minutes later when he stabbed in Solent’s fourth of the afternoon. Noonen put a testing low cross into the box, which nobody wanted to claim so Landu slid in to poke it across the line.

Swansea made a double change bringing on Ben Tegg and Charlie Bugede-Rancourt for Mark Davis and Tom Allen to try and restore some pride.

The substitutions must have worked as soon after Swansea managed to pull a goal back through Lambert who passed into the bottom corner from Rory McIntyre’s low cross.

Solent were letting Swansea back into the game and a lapse in concentration from Cairo Duhaney-Burton allowed Seif Abouarram to nick the ball on the by line and fire a shot which Tillett managed to block with his chest.

With the game winding to a close, Solent brought on Toyeeb Babatunde and Randy Spence to give them some minutes on the pitch with the result all but confirmed.

Swansea firmly had their thoughts placed on the long journey back to South Wales and Solent managed to add a fifth through Spence who to the delight of the handful of spectators rose highest at the back post to nod in McDonalds’s deep cross.

Solent have a long wait for their quarter final tie but they can enjoy another home draw when they face Bath’s third team in February 2017.

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About

Having been to well over 500 games and already visited over 150 grounds, I am often asked 'Do I write about my adventures?'. My answer to that question had always been followed with a simple 'no', until now.
As the start of the 2016/17 season creeps ever nearer, I felt that it would be a good time to set up this blog. The Terrace Traveller is born. Keep checking this blog to find out which patch of grass I will be watching football at next. Enjoy!